2018 Porsche 718 Cayman|Model Review|Model Specs

Forget everything you have read about Porsche’s decision to ditch the coveted flat-six in favor of the new Turbocharged flat-four because, frankly, it’s bullshit. The 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman is easily one of the best cars I have ever driven.

I have had the pure luxury of spending intimate time in all of the generations of Cayman’s at this point from the first generations Cayman S, to the 2014 Cayman S, and Base, as well as the amazing GT4. I’ve been on back roads, highways and race tracks and I can safely say it is one of the greatest cars ever made.

All that being said, there has been a lot of drama around the decision to revive the 718 namesake and pass it on to the Boxster and Cayman, but it makes great sense.

As far as car reviews go you can view my opinion on the current state of car reviews in my post: Are Car Reviews Fake? This is simply my opinion based on driving the car and it is completely unfiltered. Proceed accordingly.

2018 Porsche 718 Cayman Specs:

Engine: 2.0-Liter Turbocharged 4-Cylinder Boxer Engine

Drivetrain: Mid-Engine Rear-Wheel-Drive

Transmission: 7-Speed Dual-Clutch Automatic or standard manual

Horsepower: 300 hp @ 6,500 RPM

Torque: 280 lb-ft @ 1,950 RPM

0-60 mph: ~4.7 seconds with PDK & ~4.5 seconds with PDK/Sport Chrono

MPG: 21 City/28 Hwy

Price: $60,110+

Average Rating: 9.5/1

What’s New in the Porsche 718 Cayman

Well for starters Porsche ditched the beloved flat six in favor of a turbocharged flat-four bringing it more in line with the rest of the lineup. This does a few things, but the one thing it did the most was pissed off all of the Porsche snobs. Like really bad.

These clowns wrote comments on Instagram, tweeted, Facebooked, and even went as far as to say Porsche is no different than Subaru.

Rude.

Journalist praised the car for obvious reasons but reduced its rating because of the “sound”. I’m not making this up. Automotive journalist are really that petty.

Aside from the decision to move to a turbo flat-four, the 718 Cayman adopted the brakes from the previous generations Cayman S and the steering of the 911 Turbo. It now comes standard with 300-hp as much as my 2006 Mustang GT had with a 4.6-Liter V8.

You could say the 718 Cayman and Boxster have really grown up and present a real case for saving your money on the much more expensive “S” and “GTS” versions.

2018 Porsche 718 Cayman Interior and Cabin

2018 Porsche 718 Cayman Interior Highlights:

Beautiful gauge cluster

Fantastic sport steering wheel

Great sport seats

Phenomenal field of view

Responsive infotainment center

Clear focused on sport above all else

There is nothing like the interior of a Porsche. You walk up and open the door and you realize just how low you have to get to slide behind the wheel. You step down into the car and it really sets the tone.

Squarely behind the beautiful sport steering wheel sits the iconic circular gauge cluster. One circle in the middle that shows RPM and digital speed, a tach on the left for speed, and a digital screen on the right. It’s simple, beautiful, and tells you everything you want to know.

Unlike the majority of luxury manufacturers who have opted to lazily slap a damn iPad to the center dash, Porsche has taken the approach in all of its cars to place its infotainment screen below the window line. This is subtle, but places driving front and center. There is nothing blocking your field of view.

Genius.

Everything in the car is exactly where it should be, the infotainment center responds well and does what you want it to. The base model Porsche is as luxurious as many other Luxury brands, but Porsche will leather wrap whatever you want at a steep price.

Little things make it great like the heavy shift paddles, the use of buttons on the climate control to reduce the height of the dashboard and the way the door handles are shaped so you can slide your fingers easily behind them to unlatch and open the door simultaneously.

Driving the 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman

You’re in the cockpit, you push the sport button, and then start the car. No push button, even the keyless entry cars have a dedicated key you turn.

I love it.

Everyone who picked on this 4-banger can eat a dick because it lets out a roar that is definitely respectable. Optional sport exhaust makes that initial burst even more intense.

From a stop you feel a little turbo lag, but not much and honestly in daily driving you hardly ever notice it. Only when you shove the pedal down all the way suddenly do you notice the millisecond of lag. But when that turbo hits…holy shit. It’s awesome.

The car is so light it just rockets forward. Unlike the previous generations base model, the 718 Cayman is legitimately fast no matter where you are at in the power band. Did the previous generation sound more ferocious? Sure, but this mighty little engine sounds great, it’s just different.

It screams all the way to its 7,200 RPM redline and in sport + mode that’s where it shifts. It’s balls-to-wall and because the engine sits behind you it’s a visceral experience with turbos spooling and sucking air, rocks flying up, and general road conveyance that is amazing.

Steering is so tight and sharp. You could feel it through the steering wheel if you ran over a piece of notebook paper. The 718 Cayman handles like a much more serious sports car.

I thought the previous generation couldn’t get any better and I was wrong. It handles like a maniac. Insane grip, phenomenal turn-in response, and balance with minimal body roll. All-in-all it really makes you think twice about spending the extra $12,400 for the base “S” model.

2018 Porsche 718 Cayman Final Thoughts

In 2015 I had my first taste of being behind the wheel of several Porsche’s on and off the track. I fell in love and knew I needed to have one. But I couldn’t afford a Cayman S and the base Cayman just never really felt worth it to me. It handled great, but lacked that punch.

That all changed when I sat behind the wheel of the 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman. It was so clear that Porsche has l given both the Cayman and Boxster its own identity with the 718 branding. And that identity is that it’s not a 911, it’s a 718.

And both are amazing but just in different ways. Because they have different identities.

I loved this car so much that I bought one. I recently stated in my 2019 Audi S5 review that I would save my money and spend it on a 2014 Porsche Cayman S and at $70K with a few options the 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman is a far better deal than the S5.

It used be that a base 911 Carrera was really the only base model Porsche worth having but thankfully that has all changed now. The 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman is by far the best car I have ever driven and while it’s still pricey it is at the top of a very impressive list of phenomenal cars aimed at satisfying auto enthusiast. And as a base model, that should really tell you something.

Mike is a motorsport enthusiast and has owned a wide variety of sport and luxury cars. He attended the Porsche Performance Driving School at Barber Motorsport Park in Alabama and also enjoys motorcycle riding and racing.